Quote:
Originally Posted by JSWolf
To phase out Mobi & KF8, Amazon would have to abandon every 1st gen, 2nd gen, K3, KK, Kindle Touch, Kindle Basic 1, Kindle Basic 2, DX, DXG, older versions of Kindle programs, and any other hardware I left out.
Do you really think Amazon would abandon all of these users for KFX? I would say Amazon would not do that.
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I don't think that Amazon is likely to "abandon" users, but that's not what I was saying. In the past, Amazon issued firmware updates to everything but (correct me if I'm wrong) the K1, K2, and DX, to make them able to read KF8. I don't know what's stopping them from doing that again, but for KFX. An almost-all-KFX scene could be right around the corner, as fast as Amazon's firmware teams can work.
Quote:
Originally Posted by jhowell
I have downloaded the same book on my iPad and PW2 and there are definitely differences. Images in iPad KFX are color JPEG instead of grayscale JPEG-XR.
The main DRMION file, which apparently holds the non-image data, differs in size and (unreadable encrypted) content. Though as far as I can tell the text renders the same on both devices.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by kovidgoyal
@mattmc: My deduction that KFX is device specific is simply from data in this thread. Namely:
1) Images are grayscaled for e-ink screens
2) Images are re-compressed using a higher compression ratio (JPEG XR)
3) Since amazon has only enabled "advanced" typography for this format, it stands to reason that there is some pre-processing done to make those features easier to implement. For instance, adding soft-hyphens to the text, to avoid the layout engine on the Kindle from having to do that at runtime.
It is unlikely in my opinion that the HTML/CSS is simply copied unchanged from azw3 to kfx. Of course this cannot be known for certain unless the obfuscation is broken.
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Interesting, okay then. I suppose this is only in keeping with Amazon's past patterns. Kindlegen creates a MOBI and KF8, and then the appropriate version of the file is stripped out and delivered, based on the consumer's device. (KCR is also created, presumably, for Kindle Cloud Reader and K4iOS.) So we're looking at something similar, but taken to the next level.
@kovid, On the soft hyphens, maybe you can clear something up for me. What benefit would there be to adding those to the file itself? What if the user sets a font size that doesn't give a word a reason to break on a particular line? Then you just have a hyphen in the middle of a word...unless the rendering engine is hiding them when they're not necessary, or something, and then you haven't gained anything. I suppose they could be inserting invisible markers in the middle of words that the rendering engine uses as clues to do soft-hyphenation.
Quote:
Originally Posted by jhowell
It appears that protection is being applied to all KFX books. The first three bytes in the main file of every KFX book I have checked are 'D', 'R', 'M'. I wouldn't want to try to defend the position that it isn't actual DRM in court. ...
I have heard enough about the DMCA to be cautious. Some relevant quotes from Wikipedia (highlights mine): ...
Others may do as they wish. I am going to be cautious.
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Thanks for those quotes, I feel sufficiently warned. For now, I'm just going to hope that Amazon gives eBook creators the tools we need to proof these things. If the entire Kindle ecosystem turns to KFX and there's nothing forthcoming from Amazon, then that bridge will have to be crossed.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Hitch
Just getting caught up with this thread, which thus far, has been pretty darned amusing. ...
I'm looking forward to the enhanced capabilities. I'm dead tired of the idea that a Fiverr can do what we do (or the ubiquitous "upload your Word file and we'll automagically convert it to..."). It's annoying as s**t.
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So glad to have entertained you, Hitch
I'm curious what your take is on the proofing aspect, since you probably have the most skin in the game out of anybody, and perhaps the strongest working relationship with Amazon. Have you spoken with anyone there about giving creators the ability to proof stuff in KFX? Is it too early to get into that yet? Or are you confident enough in the simplicity of your files that you're not overly concerned about the KFX conversion playing havoc with them?
Would appreciate your 2 cents
(Also, how does KFX raise the bar of required skill to create an eBook? I'm not clear on that point.)